Letters to the editor

Comment on vaccine was small-minded, judgmental

To the editor: On Sept. 17, 2021, the Carbondale Times posted a letter from George Maroney titled, "If you don't get the vaccine, you are just plain stupid." Like Mr. Maroney I also have been biting my tongue. I found that comment very small-minded and judgmental and wondered why the Carbondale Times would post it.

My wife and I both have health issues that prevent us from getting the shot. I'm sure that there are other people that have that same issue. Many I've talked to are concerned that information is changing daily, and many people are having after-effects from the vaccines. Maybe Mr. Maroney should try being informed before he makes accusations.

I would also like to point out the cartoon "This Modern World" by Tom Tomorrow is not only the most insulting, biased and nonfactual cartoon I've ever seen. Carbondale is a wonderful city with a mixture of conservatives, liberals, Democrats and Republicans. Why insult one group?

Ray Eaton

Carbondale

Demand the U.S. sign nuclear weapon ban treaty

To the editor: On Monday, we celebrated the life of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. For those who wish to continue his work, an opportunity occurs this Saturday, Jan. 22, the first anniversary of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

122 nations voted in favor of the treaty and 59 nations have ratified it thus far. Unfortunately, the U.S. and other nuclear-armed powers are not among them. Instead, our federal government is busily making the world less safe, engaging in reckless nuclear brinksmanship with Russia and China. Nuclear arms treaties between the U.S. and Russia have been deliberately allowed to expire and the U.S. is spending more than $74 billion on nuclear weaponry this year alone. Congress continues to increase overall military spending year after year, while determining that it cannot "afford" to expend funds to meet other pressing needs.

In Ebony magazine in 1957, King wrote: "I definitely feel that the development and use of nuclear weapons should be banned. It cannot be disputed that a full-scale nuclear war would be utterly catastrophic." When accepting the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, Dr. King said: "Somehow we must transform the dynamics of the world power struggle from the negative nuclear arms race, which no one can win, to a positive contest to harness man's creative genius for the purpose of making peace and prosperity a reality for all the nations of the world. In short, we must shift the arms race into a peace race."

The need to make progress on this front could not be more pressing. This Saturday, the Peace Coalition of Southern Illinois will be joining with peace groups around the world to demand that the U.S. and other nations sign the treaty to ban nuclear weapons. We will be in front of the Carbondale Town Square pavilion from noon to 1. We invite you to join us and help send a message to the administration and Congress that we want our nation to join the ban and advance the cause of global peace and cooperation.

Rich Whitney

Carbondale